Two women have been sentenced to prison for brutally abusing the young children in their care at Happy Hearts Christian Academy day care center in Alabama.
Kelly Gilley and Magen Kirk On October 10, 2024, Gilly was taken into custody and booked into the Dare County Jail on multiple charges. At the time, Geely was charged with two counts of “torture/intentional abuse” of an absent child and nine counts of “aggravated child abuse,” while Geely faced four counts of “torture/intentional abuse” and eight counts of “aggravated child abuse.”
The first charge is a Class C felony under Alabama law, which is defined as “torture, willful abuse, willful cruelty, brutal battery, or other willful abuse of any child under 18 years of age upon conviction of a responsible person.” Aggravated child abuse is classified as a Class B felony.
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On Monday, January 5, family members of the victims testified in court about the harmful behavior of Gilley and Coker. Witnesses claimed that some of the abused children were too young to speak and tell anyone what they had experienced, WTVY reported. A child, who authorities have not yet named, allegedly suffered most of the abuse.
Giving evidence, a mother also told the court she watched video clips of women taking turns beating her children. The child was later taken to hospital with bruising and swelling from the attack. This led to local police investigating the alleged abuse.
“Police met with the child’s parents who reported the injuries were discovered after picking up the child from day care,” Police Chief John Crawford said at the time. “The parents stated there were no bruises earlier that day.”
Other parents said their children were still emotionally affected by the abuse, experiencing symptoms such as night terrors and feeling uncomfortable in their new daycare environment.
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Coker and Gilley both signed “blind” plea deals – meaning there was no prearranged sentencing agreement – the judge said. William Fillmore Each woman was ordered to serve five years in prison, suspended for a further three years. Neither woman is eligible for parole or early release.
The Happy Hearts Christian Academy day care center has reportedly been closed since Gilley and Coker’s arrests.
The Alabama Department of Public Health reports child abuse cases have increased in three years. Back in 2015, there were 8,466 child abuse victims, and by 2018, that number had tragically grown to 12,158. As of 2019, the total number of child abuse victims was 10.7 per 1,000 children, and the number of child deaths was 3.1 per 100,000 children. However, in 2023, that number is down slightly from 2018, with Child Welfare Outcomes reporting that 11,636 minors are experiencing abuse in Alabama.
If you or someone you know has experienced child abuse, please call or text the Children’s Helpline: 1-800-422-4453.
